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Sunday, September 18, 2016

Obama Redoubling Efforts To Shore Up Health Law As
Concerns Grow About Marketplaces, September 16, Kaiser Health News

The president met with insurers this week to press them to continue to
support the effort, and the administration is preparing for a rocky opening of
the fall enrollment period because of concerns about rising premiums and
limited choices. Nonetheless, on one key measure the law is a marked success:
the drop in the number of people without insurance.

Politico: Obama Steps In To Save Obamacare
Deep into the final year of his presidency, Barack Obama is working behind the
scenes to secure Obamacare’s legacy, struggling to bolster a program whose
ultimate success or failure will likely be determined by his successor. With no
lifeline coming from the divided Congress, Obama and his administration are
redoubling their pleas for insurers to shore up the federal health care law and
pushing uninsured Americans — especially younger ones — to sign up for
coverage. The administration is nervously preparing for its final Obamacare
open-enrollment season just a week before Election Day, amid a cascade of
headlines about rising premiums, fleeing insurers and narrowing insurance
options. (Demko, 9/16)

The Associated Press: Behind Health Law's 'Growing Pains,' More Serious
Problems?
President Barack Obama told insurers this week his health care overhaul has had
some growing pains. But with premiums rising and marquee insurers bailing,
could the real diagnosis be "failure to thrive?" The medical term
refers to when patients, often youngsters but also adults, fail to achieve or
maintain proper weight. This is the fourth election cycle in which the
Affordable Care Act has been in play, struggling for political traction and a
healthy level of acceptance from a divided public. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/15)

The New York Times: By One Measure, Health Care Law Is A Record Success
Included among the many uplifting economic numbers released by the Census
Bureau on Tuesday was a remarkable one about health insurance in the United
States: Only 9.1 percent of Americans do not have coverage, the lowest level
ever recorded by the agency. ... So does that mean the Affordable Care Act is
solving the puzzle of getting people covered, a major goal of the law? It
certainly looks that way. About 18 million more people have coverage now than
did in 2013. But the new numbers also highlight where the law is not working
well — and how difficult it will be to drop the uninsured rate much lower.
(Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 9/15)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Republicans Want Change In Obamacare: Rates
Rising, Insurers Leaving
Obamacare is a mess, crammed down the throats of Americans by Democrats in
Congress. Premiums are soaring and insurers are backing out, cutting consumer
choice. The next Congress must repeal and replace it. These were the primary
messages in a U.S. Senate committee hearing today that was scheduled by, and
dominated by, Republicans. ... A partisan imbalance in a congressional hearing
doesn't mean the critics are wrong or right about the Affordable Care Act, also
known as Obamacare. But the hearing offered a preview of what's to come in 2017
– both for insurance and for politics, depending on which political party
controls the White House and Congress. (Koff, 9/15)

The Hill: Senate Dems Unveil New Public Option Push For ObamaCare
Senate Democrats and liberal groups are unveiling a new push to add a public
option on ObamaCare on Thursday. The effort is led by senators including
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), on track to be the next Democratic leader, and Bernie
Sanders (I-Vt.), who galvanized liberals in his presidential campaign with a
push to go even further and set up a “Medicare for all” system. Sen. Jeff
Merkley (D-Ore.) is spearheading the effort. (Sullivan, 9/15)

The Health Reform Maze

Buy the Book

Book Description: In this first book in a series of four, Richard L. Reece, MD. provides a unique view of the roll out, and run up, of the Affordable Care Act. Reece shows in this book the progress and facets of ObamaCare's marketers and messengers, as the day approached for the launch of health insurance exchanges - the single most public and problematic portion of the new law. This is a must read for anyone who wants to chronicle this attempt to organize more than one-sixth of the U.S. economy by adding layers of federal government control and regulations.

Reece has been writing about U.S. health care for more than 45 years. His knowledge and experience, added to his keen intellect and gift of subtle humor, make this book a valuable part of anyone's collection.